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General Information

About the Workforce Development Board

What Does the Workforce Development Board Do?

The City of Los Angeles Workforce Development Board (WDB) oversees the expenditure of more than $50 million in public funds annually through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Board members are appointed by the Mayor from the leadership ranks of the education, economic development and organized labor fields as well as other key players in the Los Angeles economy.

The WDB Mission

To develop a skilled and innovative workforce that meets the evolving needs of the market and ensures a healthy and prosperous economy

The WDB Vision

To be the national leader in managing an integrated, collaborative regional workforce delivery system that is dynamic to job seeker and market needs.

Strategies for Workforce Development

  • Develop sector-based training programs
  • Strengthen the region’s workforce development
  • Leverage public sector hiring and contracting
  • Connect young people to jobs
  • Move incumbent workers into living wage jobs
  • Create jobs through economic development

Why a Partnership With the Health Care Industry is Vital to the WDB

There is a shortage of qualified health care workers in cities across the country.  To address this problem, the City of Los Angeles WDB has invested in several training programs specifically focused on health care employment.  The WDB plans to further partner with health care and hospital industries throughout Los Angeles.  The WDB’s goal in this endeavor will be twofold:

1) to help ensure that Los Angeles has a skilled health care workforce that is capable of delivering high-quality patient care and,

2) to help workers attain the skills and credentials necessary to qualify for high-demand health care positions. 

To this end, the WDB plans to partner with community colleges, community-based organizations, and local hospitals to meet the specific needs of the city’s workers and employers.

What Areas Do They Serve?

In an effort to align the workforce development system with regional economic development in Los Angeles County, the County has divided the region into eight (8) economic development planning areas that line up with the economic development areas determined by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).

These eight planning areas are called the Los Angeles Basin Regional Planning Unit (RPU) and consist of: Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita, San Fernando Valley, Westside Cities, South Bay, Gateway Cities, Central Los Angeles, and San Gabriel Valley

The Los Angeles Basin RPU Region

Los Angeles County stretches across a geographic area of 4,088 square miles adjacent to Orange, San Bernardino, Kern, and Ventura counties in Southern California and supports more than 244,000 businesses.  It is one of the most populous counties in the nation and home to 88 incorporated cities and much of the region is comprised of unincorporated communities.

Composition of the RPU

There are seven (7) local WDBs located within the boundaries of Los Angeles County that comprise the RPU:

  1. City of Los Angeles WDB, which covers a single municipality; five consortia WDBs1;
  2. Foothill WDB, representing 6 cities;
  3. Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network, representing 2 cities;
  4. South Bay WIB, representing 11 cities;
  5. Southeast Los Angeles County (SELACO) WDB, representing 7 cities;
  6. Verdugo WDB, representing 3 cities;
  7. Los Angeles County WDB which administers workforce programs on behalf of 58 cities (not listed below) and all unincorporated County areas.

1 Five Consortia WDB’s:

  1. Foothill WDB represents the cities of Arcadia, Duarte, Monrovia, Pasadena, South Pasadena and Sierra Madre;
  2. Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network represents the cities of Long Beach and Signal Hill;
  3. South Bay WIB represents the cities of Carson, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Torrance;
  4. Southeast Los Angeles County (SELACO) WDB represents the cities of Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood and Norwalk;
  5. Verdugo WDB represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale and La Cañada/Flintridge.

About the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy. Congress passed the Act by a wide bipartisan majority; it is the first legislative reform in 15 years of the public workforce system. WIOA supersedes the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the Wagner-Peyser Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. In general, the Act takes effect on July 1, 2015, the first full program year after enactment.

WIOA streamlines and strengthens the strategic roles of Workforce Development Boards, effectively making state and local boards more agile and well-positioned to meet local and regional employers’ workforce needs. It brings together, in strategic coordination, the core programs of federal investment in skill development:

  • employment and training services for adults, dislocated workers, and youth and Wagner-Peyser employment services administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) through formula grants to states
  • adult education and literacy programs and Vocational Rehabilitation state grant programs that assist individuals with disabilities in obtaining employment administered by the Department of Education (DoED)

WIOA also authorizes programs for specific vulnerable populations and increases the quality and accessibility of services that job seekers and employers receive at their local WorkSource Centers, or America’s Job Centers.

WIOA Services for Youth

WIOA prepares vulnerable youth and other job seekers for successful employment through increasing the use of proven service models services. Young people who live in the Los Angeles area can access services including tutoring, internships, job shadowing, work experience, adult mentoring, and counseling at local centers, called YouthSource Centers. A list of available youth services and a map of youth centers can be found on the WDB’s Youth Job Seekers services page. Additional youth oriented services can be found at:

  • HIRE LA’S Youth is focused on connecting young people to local employment opportunities.
  • LA Cash for College is targeted at expanding college access to students and families, providing them with information about financial aid and other college resources

WIOA Services for Adults

WIOA helps job seekers acquire industry-recognized credentials for in-demand jobs by ensuring that unemployed and other job seekers have access to high-quality workforce services. The program also increases individuals with disabilities’ access to high quality workforce services and prepares them for competitive integrated employment. The program is implemented through WorkSource Centers, or America’s Job Centers. Some of the many program services are:

  • WorkSource Centers can use funds for demonstrated effective strategies that meet employers’ workforce needs, including incumbent worker training, registered apprenticeship, transitional jobs, on-the-job training, and customized training
  • Training that leads to industry recognized post-secondary credentials is emphasized
  • Core and intensive services are collapsed into “career services” and there is no required sequence of services, enabling job seekers to access training immediately
  • Job seekers who are basic skills deficient, in addition to those who are low-income individuals, have a priority for services from the Adult program
  • Centers provide physical and programmatic accessibility to employment and training services for individuals with disabilities

To find out what adult services are available near you, visit the WDB’s Adult Job Seekers services page.

WIOA Services for Employers

WIOA improves services to employers by promoting work-based training. It contributes to economic growth and business expansion by ensuring the workforce system is job-driven, matching employers with skilled individuals. The program is also implemented through WorkSource Centers, or America’s Job Centers. Highlights of the program include:

  • Centers promote the use of industry and sector partnerships to address the workforce needs of multiple employers within an industry
  • Centers are responsible for activities to meet the workforce needs of local and regional employer
  • Centers can use funds for demonstrated effective strategies that meet employers’ workforce needs, including incumbent worker training, Registered Apprenticeship, transitional jobs, on-the-job training, and customized training
  • Employers are incentivized to meet their workforce needs and offer opportunities for workers to learn with increased reimbursement rates for on-the-job and customized training

Specific Employment Solutions

Additional Information

To learn more about these services and, visit the WDB’s Employers & Businesses service page.